英语报刊选读一期.doc

英语报刊选读1 21st century bus CHINA is troubled by traffic jams, noise and air pollution. So it plans to test an elevated (高架的) “Super Bus” in Mentougou District, Beijing, in order to provide cleaner, greener and faster traffic in the city If it goes into service, the Super Bus would travel on rails and straddle (横跨) two lanes of traffic. It would be 4 to 4.5 meters high and have two levels: Cars would be able to drive underneath (在底下) it while the upper level would carry passengers.? Only small and medium-sized vehicles (车辆) less than 2 meters high would be able to drive through the Super Bus. To keep the risk of accidents down, an alarm (警报) would sound if an oversized vehicle attempted (试图) to pass through the bus. As to the inside, cars would be warned when the bus is about to make a turn. Radar scanners (雷达扫描设备) inside the bus would also warn cars if they were driving too close to the wheels of the bus. Electricity and solar (太阳的) energy would power the bus, which would travel at 40-50 km/h while carrying 1,200 to 1,400 passengers. According to the vehicle’s designer, Song Youzhou, the Super Bus could replace about 40 normal buses, potentially (潜在地) saving 860 tons of fuel and preventing 2,640 tons of carbon emissions (碳排放). Song said the Super Bus could cut traffic by up to 30 percent on crowded roads, as it would not take up actual road space. The cost of one bus and 40 km Super Bus line is around 50 million yuan, which is about 10 percent of what it would cost to build an equivalent (相等的) subway, Song said. The first 6 km Super Bus line will be road-tested in Beijing’s Mentougou district by the end of this year. “From the second half of next year, we will test the bus with passengers on board,” Song said. If everything goes well, 180 km Super Bus lines including a line to Beijing International Window on the world “世博之旅”趣事多。 This summer vacation, many teenagers had an unforgettable visit to the Shanghai Expo. So, which pavilions were their favorites? Let’s